Fiona's BlogDown by the riverside Dear one and all, I’m writing this from Kampot – the small town in the south of Cambodia where I’ve stayed a few times now and where I’m currently house-sitting for my friends, Jean Paul and Donna from the World Horizons team, whilst they’re away in Oz. I’ve been here since Mum and Dad left at the end of Feb so just over 2 weeks now. As well as the house, I’m looking after the two Khmer teenagers who stay with them, Joshua (15) and Sarah (14), who weren’t able to go to Oz as well because of their schooling and I think visa restrictions too. It’s an idyllic place, about 7 km from Kampot, right beside the river and looking out over hills, forests and various shades of green. A perfect place to write and reflect over the past few months and start looking to the future. It’s not been without its challenges though. Adjusting to the role of parentis loco has been interesting and I’ve had to draw on a lot of latent wisdom to deal with various tricky and sometimes funny (looking back anyway.......) moments.
What’s far outweighed all that, however, has been losing the electricity supply after some of the cable was nicked last Tuesday night. Apparently it’s a common occurrence here and most people have a story to tell, but it’s not a situation I’ve encountered before, especially in a different culture where I can’t speak the language. So, the kids and I have become quite a team trying to deal with it and I’ve made friends quickly with friends of Jean Paul and Donna who have kindly lent us a generator and helped store the fridge and freezer stuff. Things are almost sorted now though. We’ve bought some new cable and an electricity man comes today to put it up and fix the line. So, hopefully, all will be well. Anyway, that’s all the here- and –now stuff. Seeing as I’ve not written this for some time, here’s the news from last month and the time spent with Mum and Dad.......... Well, it was a treat to have them here and show them around. Most of the time we stayed in Phnom Penh, visiting various people and projects, chatting, exploring and trying out loads of the different cafes, coffee shops and eating places. The Life Again event at the end of their first week went well. In spite of things not going entirely to plan in the run-up, it was a hoot anyway and achieved the main thing which was that everyone enjoyed themselves in what became a very creative space. Having decorated the room with all the kids’ sea creature crafts that afternoon, we started the evening with an impromptu sketch based on the story of the disciples catching loads of fish after Jesus telling them to cast their nets from the other side of the boat. After that Dad told some stories and then Mum led us all in a chaotic Scottish dance- a rom vong of rom vongs if ever there was one. Next up was Sheila with one of her poems, then Kesiah with a Khmer song and then various dances finishing with one that got me up on my feet with some of the girls. A memorable and soul-fuelling night all in all.
The next day, Mum, Dad and I made our way to Kampot to do the first week’s shift for JP and Donna. A very restful and sunny time full of swims in the river, lounging about on bucket chairs on the roof and making friends with Joshua and Sarah. We were going to go to a very touristy place called Sihanoukville on the coast afterwards, mainly for Mum to go snorkelling, but we all agreed we didn’t want to get caught up in the crowds, especially as that week-end it was the Chinese New Year, so we booked into a guesthouse in Kampot instead and mooched about visiting pepper fields, caves, the nearest seaside town (Kep), going on a sun-set boat trip and sampling some of the local seafood and beer.
For the last 10 days we were back in PP for another peopley time, the highlight being a trip to the village that makes tiles for AJ Wells, which sells them through its fair-trade outlet, Bodj, run by Ced Wells who lived out here a few years ago. It was great to finally see the place we’ve heard so much about and meet the families there too. We were welcomed so warmly and had a great time playing games with the kids. Definitely a place to go back to in future times.
The day Mum and Dad left, I caught the bus back again to Kampot for shift number 3 at JP and Donna’s, joining in with a pizza picnic with Jennifer, Heap and family when I arrived who’d been holding the fort during the intermediate fortnight. And here I am still and will be til next Tuesday when I get a ride down to Phnom Penh. Then I’ve got a week of last minute shopping, packing and goodbyes before flying back to the UK on 31/3. Sooooooooooo, not long now and I’m sure the next two weeks will fly by. Not sure how I’ll feel when I leave to be honest. Mixed emotions no doubt. I’ll write again when I’m back on UK soil to let you know! Til then, bye for now and hopefully see some of you soon :-) love Fiona xxxx A wedding, two cedleighs and the arrival of Ma and Pa 3rd February 2010 Greetings, Just wanted to squeeze in a quick blog whilst Mum and Dad are resting having just arrived in Phnom Penh. Great to have them here. Looking forward to showing them around and having some laughs. Just had a quick catch-up on the balcony over strong cups of tea (hoorah for Yorkshire Tea tea-leaves!!) and dragonfruit (tastes a bit melony and tis good for the bowels ;-) Anyway, since I last wrote things have been feeling quite normal here. Feel like I’ve been here ages now! Have started teaching English to a group of Cambodian young women once a week which I’m really enjoying. They’re friends of Vivi, one of my Indonesian friends from the World Horizons team, and we’ve been having a laugh each week playing games, learning songs and telling stories. It’s been a while since I’ve taught/facilitated a small group like this so it’s been good to get my hand in again and find that things have come back quickly and naturally, thank the Lord.
Me, Vivi and the students The preparations for the Life Again event this Sunday at CFC have been coming along. The kids have made loads of sea creatures (fish, crabs, oysters, starfish, octopuses, sea anenomies plus some other weird and wonderful creations) which will be used to transform the meeting room into an underwater scene this weekend. My great ideas for teaching loads of dances and dramas haven’t quite gone to plan though as it’s been tricky trying to communicate. All I can say is that it’s been a learning experience in all things cross-cultural and am appreciating that at this stage, less is most definitely best. So, this Sunday the hope is simply to create a space for things to happen. For people to bring songs, dances, stories, poems etc – a bit like a cedleigh – and for everyone just to enjoy sharing and receiving and being together.
Kids and their deep sea creations Since the Christmas sociabilities, Sheila and I have had slightly less people round but it’s been good to finally have Sreyroam and Sokim from CFC over for Spaghetti Bolognaise, some DVDs and a sleepover plus Kamra (Norman and Fi’s adopted son) and his family for burger and chips and stories with Sheila. Have had some good nights out too seeing the Messenger Band – a group made of ex-garment factory workers who sing a lot of protest and political stuff – and going to a Burns night last Saturday, complete with a cedleigh band, dancing, poetry and the piping in of the haggis.
Kamra and family The piping in of the haggis Warming up for Burns night Last Monday Sheila’s friend and colleague, Dett, got married so it was a full-on day of Cambodian Weddingness with lots of food, fruit, loud music, colourful clothes, and rituals. Here's a few glimpses of a very varied and vivid day:
Arriving at the wedding The foot washing ceremony After dinner speeches Anyway, need to wake Ma and Pa up soon and take them out for tea soooooooooooooooooo, bye for now. Hope all’s well wherever you are, whatever you’re up to. lots of love Fiona xxx
Barry 13th January 2010 Just wanting to say that I was thinking of you all on Monday at Barry's funeral. My Dad went and has scanned and emailled me the order of service. Sounds like it was very moving . I hadn't known Barry long but he was a great bloke and will be well missed. Am glad to have known him, even for a short time though, and will remember him as a great encourager, a good laugh and someone who just loved talking about Jesus and what he'd done in his life. Am picturing him now charging about heaven waving a huge banner and madly praising Jesus who's looking at him with a huge grin. Go Barry!! New Year news 11th January 2010
The Coconut dance All-age nativity play Festive breakdancing
Sheila and I have done a fair bit of entertaining in our flat too and it’s been great having so many people round and getting to know them a bit more:
Elma,Marta,Santi &Markel Jars of Clay Coffee Shop Staff
New Year’s Eve was a quieter time with a couple coming round for dinner and us praying in the new year together. It ended up with Sheila and I silently screaming in 2010 though as they’d both fallen asleep and couldn’t be roused, try as we might. Hey ho.
After a rather muted welcome to 2010, then, so far the year’s been good. Have had some more friends round and tried out some more recipes on them. Plus been to an outreach show called “One Way” put on by my Indonesian friends in the World Horizons team and the Cambodian youth they work with.
Inspired by all things dramary then, for the next few weeks I’m working with a couple of friends (Chhon from the art studio and Marta from the World Horizons team) on a creative project at CFC called “Life Again” which will end with a show in February. The idea is for the whole thing – workshops, rehearsals and the final presentation - to be a prayer and a declaration of LIFE for CFC and for
Just to say a bit more about CFC, to give you a better picture of it, to call it an orphanage is wrong really. I only use that word so you know what I’m talking about. Here, Fi and Norman who founded it back in the late 90s, describe it as a family; as their extended family. And that’s what it feels like. With many of the children coming from broken and very painful backgrounds, CFC is a safe place for them. It’s not perfect. The usual squabbles and rivalries go on and often children have flashbacks from their past which freak them out and those around them too. But because it’s a safe place, it’s OK to freak out. The support and love is there. And though healing may take years for some, it’s happening and there’s a tangible sense of hope and of things being redeemed.
So “Life Again” is about celebrating the good stuff that’s happened already as well as looking forward to things to come. Personally, I’m praying for a new start for my heart and for a redeeming of dreams. Having come here rested in mind and body but jaded in heart and soul, I’ve been really moved by the love I’ve seen and experienced at CFC. It’s blown me away to be honest, and helped restore a flagging freedom and faith for the future. So "Life Again" has meaning on many levels and I'm looking forward to what will come of it in the weeks to come.
So that’s the story of 2010 so far. Will write again, hopefully at the end of this month with news of how “Life Again”’s panning out and things in general too. Mum and Dad are coming out on the 3rd February for a few weeks so that’ll be good. Looking forward to a rest with them and seeing a bit more of
love Fiona xxxx
Christmas cheers from Cambodia
21st December 2009 Well, Christmas is almost upon us so I’m sending this with lots of festive cheer. Hope all’s well. Is the Wight island a proper white island yet? Have heard reports that it may well be. It’s not quite like that here, obviously, but baubled trees, snowmen banners, Santa hats and tinsel are abounding, as are various Christmas soundtracks, from Bob Dylan to Band Aid to Jingle Bells. All a bit surreal but strangely comforting. On Christmas day I’m going to the orphanage with my flat-mate, Sheila, where there’ll be much dancing and singing so it should be fun. The landlord and his family are coming round on Boxing Day and there’s a Horizons team party on Christmas Eve so lots going on which is good. This weekend I’ve just been down to Kampot, a riverside town down south. A couple from the Horizons team have a retreat place there so I went down to meet them, have a look at their place and a nosey round and about Kampot too. Twas good to get away from the noise and bustle of Phnom Penh and see a very different part of Cambodia:
Riverside views Since I last wrote there’s been lots happening. The move to a new flat was v smooth in the end. Once we found a flat anyway, after looking at about 10 places. Thankfully Sheila works with a team of v helpful and friendly Cambodians who did loads to help us negotiate things with the landlord, move, furnish the flat and settle in. They were great. And the landlord and his family downstairs are pretty good too. Very friendly and his kids (all in their 20s now) keep coming up with gifts of mangoes, bananas and rice and to practice their English.
Our flat in Toul Tom Poung, Phnom Penh Sheila and friends from EFCCC (see below) Had a minor event before heading off to Kampot last week. I was just shutting my bedroom window and it fell out. Quite literally. The whole frame and glass just toppled out onto the balcony below. And amazingly didn’t smash. And didn’t hit anyone either, more to the point. It had come off its casters which isn’t a usual occurrence here, it has to be said. Anyway, the landlord’s been on to it and it’s fixed now. And I have a safer, sturdier window. Hallelu. One of life’s firsts methinks. The healing arts days up in Battambang I mentioned in my last blog were v good, by the way. Unexpectedly good. I was just tagging on really and supporting Sheila and the Children’s Commission team she works with (full title: the Evangelical Fellowship of Cambodia Children’s Commission or EFCCC for short). So I didn’t go with any great expectations. Was pleased just to be going somewhere else, to be honest, and doing something a bit different. As it turned out, the healing arts sessions proved very pertinent and confirmed a lot of things I felt God was saying to me at the time. And since too. Even though the sessions were designed for a group of children’s workers finishing a year long course called “Celebrating Children”, I got a lot from them too. One, for example, was about drawing your journey of the past year; the things you’d learnt, struggled with, enjoyed etc. and then talking it through with a partner. Just seeing the journey God’s led me on since last Nov was a real eye-opener. Back then I had plans to move to Liverpool. The Isle of Wight didn’t figure at all. It was only at the beginning of January I felt it was right to spend some time on the island. And then only til March. So seeing how things have unravelled and led to me finding a sense of home on the IOW and a place here in Cambodia (for now) is amazing. God is good and just a bit wild. And I like that a lot about Him. So, things are going well on the whole. Still a bit of a rollercoaster ride at times but I’m settling into a rhythm. My main thing now is going to the orphanage and helping with the crafts, just being there with the kids and getting to know them. Last Sunday I taught some of them to knit and it went much better than expected. Some picked it up really quickly and then immediately started helping the others which was great for me cos I hadn’t expected so many of them to be interested (there were about 12 kids from 5yrs to teenagers in the end) and it all felt a bit chaotic at times.
The knitting kids of Cambodia
The cookbook continues, by the way. Have nearly finished the editting. Just need to reformat some of it and add some more pictures. Hopefully I’ll see a bit more of the art students as am going up to the studio more regularly now to try to finish it.
Anyway, that’s about all the news for now. I’ll write again in the next decade so until then, have a great time this Christmas and enjoy the snow.
Lots of love
Fiona xxx Monsoons and mudcake 9th November 2009 It's been a while so just wanted to get in touch before I go up to a children's workers conference in a town called Battambang ooop nooorth. I'm going with my soon-to-be flatmate who's one of the advisors and has been roped in to giving a talk. Should be good. There'll be some seminars about the healing arts which I'm especially looking forward to. Since I last wrote there's been lots going on. Have got more involved with the orphanage (CFC), helping with the craft activities mainly. Yesterday we had a birthday party to celebrate my birthday (twas last Monday) which was a hoot. I bought a beautifully iced chocolate cake with me but somewhere along the way the icing melted so we celebrated with chocolate mudslide cake instead:
It didn't matter though cos it tasted great and I had the honour of them singing "Happy Birthday" to me and all gathering round to pray for me. A v memorable moment.
The weather's still mad here and we've had a far few storms recently. Last weekend marked the end of the wet season, apparently, with the Water Festival on the riverfront here in Phnom Penh. Loads of people gather from all over Cambodia to watch the boat races and eat, drink and be merry. I'd been warned that the crowds would be heaving so went one quietish morning with a Kiwi and a Cambodian friend and it was OK. We sat by the riverbank watching the world and the boats go by and it was great just to be among people and laughing with families beside us. Anyway, will write more again soon. Hope all's well in the land of the Wight. Lots of love and greetings from the land of the pouring clouds, Fiona xx A step at a time..... 14th October 2009 Well, it's taken a while to get going with this today. Have been emailing and blogging from internet cafes and things tend to be a lot slower than I'm used to. This morning the power went down just as I'd downloaded some photos and last week I spent a good while writing emails on a keyboard where 2/3s of the letters had been rubbed out. I thought I was a fairly good typist til then! Anyway, I'm here now and all is well so far. Will just keep saving this as I go along just in case of further mishaps. And try and stay in chill-out mode like some of my neighbours below:
Just to let you know, I got to church OK on Sunday. It was closer than I thought so I had time to stop off for a coke and a potato/coconut fritter. The service was led by a couple from Northern Ireland who've been here for three years having meant to come as pastors for just a few months. They've literally been left holding the baby in other ways too and in the service they dedicated the 3 month old girl they've found themselves adopting after some visits to a nearby village. A long story, but it wasn't something they'd planned and as they're both in their late 50s, has brought some huge changes to their lives, as you can imagine. Having met them, seen what Norman and Fi have been doing (both now in their 60s) and spent time chatting with Ron, a guy who runs an art studio project and is 76, I'm full of admiration for the older generation of workers here. They're doing amazing things in a nation where so many of their age were wiped out in the Khmer Rouge regime and many of my generation were left as orphans and their children without the love of grandparents. It's not surprising they're so loved, respected and kept busy here! Something to look out for soon on this blog is a cookery page. One thing I'll be doing soon is helping finish off a cookery book that Ron's art studio students put together some time ago. It just needs someone to edit and format it so I'll be doing that along with a couple of the students. It'll be a good way to get to know them, learn a bit of language and try out some of the recipes on a few unsuspecting folk. Will put some on this blog anyway with pics if anyone else fancies a go... I'll finish now with some more pics of sights as I've been walking around. The musicians are entertaining at a wedding and the guy in the yellow trousers is the comedian - a manic Charlie Chaplin sort of character who goes around telling jokes, singing in v high-pitched tones and pretending to cut the guests' hair. Not sure why but they all seem to love it.
The monks on the left are just about to bless a house by chanting and dousing the gates with water. And the monks on the right are dashing off to the pagoda (equivalent of a monastery) straight ahead, I guess for some kind of gathering or meeting, given the many more I saw once I got as far as the pagoda. 95% of the population here are Buddhist so they're held in high reknown and it's an honour for a family to have one of their sons in the monkhood.
Before I left to come here, I asked somebody who'd lived here for a year what it was like spiritually and he said his biggest struggle was reading the Bible. I can see what he meant now cos there's a strong feeling of passivity here and I'm finding I have to really motivate myself to pray and read the Bible. When I do though it's good and God is close. So I'm seeing it as an act of defiance just to read a Scripture (Isaiah 25 has been a good one so far) and have a sing and a pray. A way of being and living in the opposite spirit. So please pray for me in that. And for making the right connections in terms of friendships and things to get involved with. Thanks:-) Anyway, this comes with much love and affection for you all and the Isle of Wight. Sending blessings and lots of Shalom from Cambodia. Fiona x
Greetings from Cambodia
11th October 09 Well, I'm here and all is well. I arrived OK after a long journey, not too worse for wear, and was met by Norman at the airport. I've known Norman and his wife, Fi, for years. Our families lived in the same village in Essex many moons ago and Dad and Norman were church wardens together for a good few years. Now Norman and Fi live in an orphanage they set up back in the 90s and have over 40 kids in their care. Norman also leads the World Horizons (WH) team here which is made up of about 15 workers from England, Scotland, Indonesia, Japan, America, Singapore and Australia, all involved in different ministries in Phnom Penh and some of the neighbouring provinces. Anyway, it was good to see "Stormin Norman" again. I recognised him immediately even though it's been well over 10 years since I last saw him. And it was good to have my first meal in Cambodia at the orphanage, sitting among a room full of kids, trying to pick up my first words of Khmer from them. In the next few weeks I'm hoping to get involved in a couple of things there: a dance project run by Marta (an Indonesian woman and one of the WHers) and a craft project, advising on craft techniques (and learning new ones hopefully) and ideas for sellable crafts in the UK. After lunch at the orphanage I was dropped off at Michael and Elizabeth's (a WH couple), close to the city centre, where I'll be staying for the next month or so. It was good to see them again too. I met them last year when I came to visit (Jan 08) and ended up staying with them as Norman and Fi had to go back to the UK quite suddenly to attend a funeral. Although it was sad to have missed N&F last time, I found some good friends in M&E and we've been having some good chats over food, beer and the occasional G&T :-) So, my first week............. Well, it's been a bit of a whirl. Have met lots of people, found out about many projects, done loads of walking and exploring, tasted some weird and wonderful food, slept intermittently and been "ëntertained" by a wedding in the street below (a 3 day bash that played music full volume from 5am til around lunchtime and then, after a siesta, long into the night. Marvellous). There's a few more projects I could get involved with but at this stage I'm just having a look around until I get more of a feel of things and hopefully then things will become clearer. Anyway, I've lots more to say but will leave it there for now as I'm just off to church and am not quite sure how to get there. So, with map and Khmer dictionary in hand, I'll say t'ra for now and will catch up again with you all soon. Thinking of you this morning and sending my love. Fiona x
Up and away she goes.......
"She's leaving on a jet plane, off to Cambodia again, wishing well to all on the Isle of Wight...." 30th September 2009 Greetings, Just wanted to kick-start this before I leave tomorrow morning. Am all packed now and ready to go. I'll be flying from Heathrow in the afternoon to Abu Dhabi and then on to Kuala Lumpur wjhere I hope to get some sleep before flying to Phnom Penh on Saturday morning. Soooooooo, it'll be a long journey but hopefully there'll be some good onflight films and food along the way :-) Will be in touch again once I've landed and had a chance to meet people and mooch around a bit. Til then, bye for now and thanks for all your prayers and support. Tis muchly appreciated. Big Shalom,
Fiona |
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